This invention relates to a backhoe attachment for a vehicle and specifically for a skid steer loader.
As is well known, a skid steer loader is a relatively small four-wheel vehicle which is steered by braking or driving two wheels on one side of the vehicle while reversely driving the wheels on the other side of the vehicle. Two laterally spaced loader arms are mounted on the rear of the vehicle to swing upwardly and downwardly and, when the arms are swung downwardly, their forward ends extend downwardly in front of the vehicle.
A mounting plate is pivotally supported on the forward ends of the loader arms and normally supports a loader bucket. By pivoting the loader arms and the mounting plate with hydraulic cylinders, the bucket may be maneuvered to different positions to pick up and dump dirt and other materials.
It is known to replace the loader bucket with a backhoe attachment having a dipper stick attached to the mounting plate and having a backhoe bucket pivotally mounted on the lower end of the dipper stick. By pivoting the arms, the mounting plate and the bucket, the latter may be used in the manner of a conventional backhoe to dig a hole or trench and to transport and dump the excavated material.
When a skid steer loader is equipped with a backhoe attachment, the front of the vehicle must be stabilized during the digging operation in order to prevent the vehicle from tipping forwardly. Although skid steer loaders have been provided with stabilizer arms in the past, such stabilizer arms interfere with normal movement of the vehicle and are difficult to install and remove.